Fluorochemicals have been used in a variety of applications for many years. For example, fluorinated surfactants have been added to a variety of formulations (e.g., coatings and foams). The addition of a fluorinated surfactant to a formulation (e.g., a coating formulation) may enhance the properties of the formulation by improving, for example, wetting behavior, leveling properties, and stability (e.g., with respect to phase separation or foam half-life). In other applications, fluorochemicals have been used to provide properties such as hydrophobicity and oleophobicity to various materials (e.g., ceramics, fabrics, and porous stones).
Traditionally, many widely used fluorinated surfactants include long-chain perfluoroalkyl groups, (e.g., perfluorooctyl groups). Recently, however, there has been an industry trend away from using perfluorooctyl fluorinated surfactants, which has resulted in a desire for new types of surfactants which may be used in a variety of applications.